Next Generation
by dark-spirited Bakura
Summary: The Akatsuki each staged their own death and have all been in hiding for ten years, safe from Konoha. Life has moved on, and now the next generation of Akatsuki and of Konoha is in danger, plagued by past grudges held by their parents. Will this next generation hold the key to peace between these enemies?
1. Chapter 1

**Whachow! Yep here I am with another fic! This one is gonna be a happy one (surprise!) and yeah. Hope you guys like it. Read and Review like the amazing fanfiction… people… you are!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, there would be chibis. Everywhere. **

**Summary: What happens when the children of Akatsuki meet up with the children of Konoha? Will they follow after their parents, or make their own destinies?**

**Warnings: Extreme cuteness, Hidan, OOC, and a bunch of other stuffs. **

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

Deiora looked around, prepared for an attack. Her long blonde hair bounced wildly as she ran, Sadari close behind her. The small boy was running as fast as he could, red bangs covering his eyes.

"C'mon Sada! Hurry up or they'll catch us, un!" Deiora called, smirking as she started to run faster.

"I'm going as fast as I can, un!" Sadari yelled back, pouting. "They're gonna catch us anyway."

As if on cue, two figures leaped from the shadows and pinned the children to the ground. Deiora let out a small squeal and Sadari merely continued pouting.

"There you two are!"

"Gotcha!"

Deiora struggled for a minute, and then sighed, giving up. "But I don't wanna take a bath, un!" she whined.

"Me neither, un," Sadari said grumpily.

One of the shadowed figures shook his head. "I still can't believe they both inherited your speech impediment, Deidara."

The other figure stuck out his tongue. "Well they are twins, Danna, un."

"Hmf," Deiora muttered. "Let's just get this over with, un."

"Agreed, un," Sadari chimed in.

"They both inherited your impatience though, un," Deidara scowled, lifting Deiora onto his shoulder. Sasori rolled his eyes, doing the same with Sadari.

A little black and white blur zoomed past, laughing like a maniac. "Whoo! All hail Jashin!" he shouted, a knife in his small hand.

"Like father, like son," Hidan said, nodding solemnly.

Deidara looked back behind him and sighed. "Hikuzu, put the knife down! You're going to hurt somebody, un!"

"Only if you give me twenty bucks!" the small boy said, grinning.

"Like father, like son," Kakuzu agreed.

Deidara deadpanned, then looked away and continued down the hallway after Sasori. Deiora waved cheerfully at her friend, nearly falling off of the older blonde's shoulder. Sadari resumed his pouting.

As they reached the end of the hallway, where the bathroom was located, they were met with a little girl with short blue hair and onyx eyes. She quietly stood there, looking up at Sadari.

"So they did get you after all," she said, a hint of amusement in her monotone voice. "Foolish Sadari."

The redheaded boy sighed. "Yeah, yeah, Itame. I get it, un."

"Have fun in the bath," Itame smirked, walking away. Deidara frowned.

"You know, her personality is exactly like Itachi's. Why couldn't she have been more like Kisame, un?"

Sasori shrugged. "Who knows." He set Sadari down gently, and went to go fill up the tub. As the hot water poured out of the faucet, steam swirled around the small room.

Just as the tub was nearly filled to the brim, a deep voice rang out throughout the base. "Everyone, we have a meeting. I expect to see you all in the main room in five minutes."

The children cheered, and the adults groaned. "What does Pein want this time?" Sasori asked, scowling. "It better be good."

"Yay we get to see leader, un!" Deiora said happily, running out of the bathroom. Sadari followed her, not wanting to be left behind.

"Now what are we supposed to do with this, un?" Deidara asked, distraught, gesturing to the tub that was now full.

"Leave it, I guess. Pein will have a fit if we're not on time." Sasori dragged the blonde with him out of the bathroom, taking the same route the kids had.

As they entered the main room, they looked around and saw that only Tobi and Zetsu were there so far. The artists sat down on one of the many worn out couches.

"Where's Tetsu, un?" Deidara asked, looking over at them.

"Outside playing in the garden," the white half of Zetsu replied. Tobi nodded enthusiastically. Tetsu, surprisingly enough, was not mentally unstable like many of the Akatsuki thought he was going to be. He was a serious, black haired boy who enjoyed being outside in the fresh air.

The rest of the members arrived shortly. Itachi and Kisame came first, Itame close behind, then Kakuzu and Hidan with Hikuzu in tow. Tetsu seemingly appeared out of nowhere, which was customary for him.

Pein entered the room, in person for once, and was immediately tackled by children.

"Leader!" they all squealed simultaneously as they fell to the ground on top of him. The older Akatsuki all chuckled quietly.

Kin entered, and stared solemnly down at the dog pile with an air of authority, gray ringed eyes wide. "Did you guys hurt him?" he asked somewhat accusingly. The small group separated, staring up at him.

"No," they all said. Pein stood up, brushing himself off. Konan entered last, picking up Kin and standing next to the leader. The children all went to sit next to their parents, taking this as a signal to start the meeting.

Pein cleared his throat. "Now that we're all here, I have some very serious business to announce. You all know that these children have all turned six recently. Which means that it is time to start training them and teaching them the ways of the Akatsuki."

There was an immediate burst of objections from the group.

"But they're still so young, un!"

"It's too fucking soon!"

"I refuse."

"No way."

"They're just children still!"

The leader narrowed his eyes, immediately silencing all noise. "In actuality, this is the perfect age to start training them. The Konoha nin start the academy at age six, so I don't see why we shouldn't start at that age too. We need to teach them to become strong, to give no mercy, to be part of Akatsuki. This is no place for those who don't know how to fight."

The children stared at the leader with wide eyes, trying to understand what he was telling them. Their parents held them closer.

"We all knew this day was coming," Konan said softly, slowly running her fingers through Kin's orange hair. "There's no going around it."

"I guess there is some sense to this," Kakuzu said. "If the base was attacked, it would be a disadvantage to have to protect them; it would be much simpler if they knew how to fight and defend themselves." Hikuzu nodded sagely, pretending he knew exactly what was going on.

Itachi sighed. "I agree with Kakuzu, but I have a question. How long is it going to be until we have to send them out on missions?"

There was silence in the room once again until Pein spoke up once more. "I'll give you four years to fully train them."

Deidara's head shot up. "Only four years, un! You want them to start carrying out dangerous missions after they've barely turned ten?"

"Deidara, you yourself were thirteen when you joined the Akatsuki, and before that you were running around taking requests for terrorist attacks," Pein said.

The blonde narrowed his eyes. "Yes, but I didn't live a sheltered life like they have so far. I did what was necessary to survive and taught myself how cruel the world could be, un. These children don't know hate, they don't know cruelty. How are we going to teach them to take another's life?"

"He has a point," Sasori said, pulling his partner closer.

"Well we're just going to have to find a way to teach them, aren't we?" the leader asked, sweeping his gaze around the group. "I still stand by my decision. In four year's time, I expect to see six new fully-fledged fighters. Dismissed."

"Well, fuck, leader!" Hidan said angrily, standing up. "How the hell are we supposed to teach them to have a shitty view on life like we do?" He pointed to Deiora and Sadari happily playing patty cake next to their parents. "They don't even know what the Jashin-damned word 'kill' means!"

"They'll learn," Pein said calmly. Konan bit her lip worriedly. She had complete faith in her partner, but she was still as concerned as the others were.

Deidara stood up. "Come on you two, let's get you in the bath, un," he said, voice carefully emotionless. Sasori stood up after him, motioning for the twins to follow them.

"Aw!" Deiora and Sadari cried in unison, ceasing in their game. But they followed anyways, not wanting to upset their parents any more than they already were.

The rest of the group slowly dispersed, and soon Pein was the only one left in the room. Walking slowly over to the couch, he started to wonder if he had done the right thing.

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><p><strong>And there was Chapter 1! Did you guys like it? Should I even bother writing a second chapter? Tell me your thoughts in a review. If this does continue, we will meet the Konoha kids next time! Anyways… hope to see some reviews!<strong>


	2. Chapter 2

**Dark: I'm so sorry it took me so long to update this story, I realized as soon as I posted the first chapter that it was a bad idea to start so many different fics at once. This story kinda got pushed aside because it wasn't one of the fics I was dead set on finishing, but I got 10 reviews for the first chapter (10! That's a lot!) so I'm going to start working on this one again. :) I had this entire thing written out, but then when I went to post it I found out I had lost my flash drive. -_- But here it is at last! Hope you guys enjoy and make sure to review!**

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><p><span><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

Nirata hid behind her parents, pushing her fingers together nervously, a habit she'd picked up from her mother. Today was the day that she was going to be enrolled into the Konoha academy, along with several other children her age.

Then she huffed, blowing a stray piece of long, dirty blonde hair out of her face. She would do better than all the other kids in the academy! She had the Byakugan, after all! Now confident, Nirata stood up straight and folded her arms, trying to see how many people were still waiting in line in front of them.

She soon caught sight of Saruke and waved vigorously. The small red haired girl waved back and grinned, running over. Her onyx colored eyes shined mischievously. "Hey Nira, you're getting signed up for the academy too?"

"Yup!" Nirata said, grinning as well. "Maybe we'll be in the same class!"

"Heck yeah we will! And we're gonna kick some ass!" Saruke proclaimed loudly, pumping her fists in the air.

"Language!" Hinata reprimanded, looking down at the two girls and repressing a small smile.

"But that's what my mom and dad said to tell everyone," Saruke said, pouting.

Naruto shook his head and sighed dramatically. "Sasuke and Sakura don't know how to raise a kid, do they?"

"…Dad told me that if you said that, then he'd use the Sharingan on you. 72 hours tied to a tree stump with a bowl of Ichiraku ramen sitting right out of your reach."

Nirata giggled, while Hinata cast a worried glance at the older Uchiha standing towards the front of the line. Naruto's eye twitched. "Tch. Classic Sasuke."

"Hey Saru, we should go find everyone else," Nirata whispered to the redhead. Saruke nodded, and the two children took off.

The first one they encountered was Shikari standing next to his parents, green eyes glazed over with boredom. "This is such a drag," Shikamaru said, sighing. "If Iruka sensei wasn't running late this would be going so much faster."

"This line is moving a lot faster than it usually does in Suna," Temari remarked. "And the whole system's a lot less complex. By the way, I heard that Lee is going to be the physical education instructor this year."

"… those poor children…"

Shikari rolled his eyes and turned around, spotting Saruke and Nirata. "Hey," he called, giving a small wave and smiling.

"Whoo, we found Shikari!" Saruke said loudly.

"Hi Shika! Wanna come with us and find Sani, Orin, and Tenji?" Nirata asked, stopping beside the spiky haired boy with Saruke close behind. Shikari looked up at Temari, silently asking for permission.

The blonde smirked, glancing at Shikamaru. "Well, what do you think? Should we let him?"

Shikamaru sighed. "It's troublesome, but I suppose he can go."

"Thank you!" Shikari said, already being pulled away by the two girls.

"Your dad's boring," Saruke noted once they were out of hearing range. "And everything's always 'troublesome' or 'such a drag.'"

Nirata laughed as the redhead imitated the older Nara's monotone voice, Shikari trying and failing to look un-amused by the act. "But your dad's kinda scary, Saru," Nira commented, raising an eyebrow. "He's all like, 'don't be a bad girl or I'll torture you with my Sharingan!'" She pulled the bottom of her eyelids down, making a face.

It was Saru's turn to raise an eyebrow. "My dad's actually a real softy. It's my mom you need to be scared of," she said, grimacing. "She has like, monster strength! I've heard that she's as strong as the Fifth Hokage used to be!"

"Fifth? Wasn't her name like Tsunami? Tsu… Tsu something…"

"Lady Tsunade, one of the three Legendary Sannin along with Orochimaru and Jiraiya," Shikari filled in, holding up a finger. "She was the granddaughter of the First Hokage, and was Sakura's mentor. She fought with medical Ninjutsu and enormous physical strength, but died in the huge war that our parents fought in to save the other Kages. Her summoning animal was a giant slug named Katsuyu. She had a bit of a gambling problem, and gained the nickname 'Legendary Sucker'. Anything else you wanna know?"

The girls gaped. "How do you know all of that?" they asked in unison, impressed by their friend's knowledge.

The Nara blinked, and then shrugged. "Dunno. I've always been able to absorb information easily."

Nirata then smirked. "The Fifth was cool, but the Sixth is cooler!"

"You only think that because he's your dad…" Saruke mumbled, rolling her eyes.

"Well technically, Naruto Uzumaki could probably beat the Fifth in fight, because he has mastered Sage Mode, the Rasengan, not to mention-"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it," another voice said, amused. The trio turned around in surprise, met with a pale, smiling black-haired boy with blue eyes.

"Sani!" they all exclaimed, running over to glomp him. He yelped as they all fell to the ground in a big giggling heap.

"Look, Orin! They're trying to murder Sani!" someone said. "We should help!" And then two more bodies joined the pile. After the extremely disorganized wrestling match, they disentangled themselves and lay there still laughing.

Saruke finally noticed the arrival of their other two friends. "Hey, the whole gang's here together!" she announced happily. Tenji was a taller boy, with long brown hair and Byakugan. He was also Nirata's cousin. Orin had short, dark brown hair and eyes with pupils that were slits. He had the standard Inuzuka markings on his cheeks, and he was usually relatively quiet. The six of them together were Konoha's "next generation", the soon-to-be inheritors of the Will of Fire.

And you better believe that they would carry that torch proudly.

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><p>"Sani Yamanaka!"<p>

Sani smiled widely, stepping up to the stage to stand with the other accepted students. Today was the inauguration ceremony, and Iruka was currently calling the names of those who were to attend the academy. Ino beamed proudly, Sai smiling next to her.

"Tenji Hyuuga!"

The boy smirked, walking with confidence to stand in front of the large crowd. TenTen watched with joy, though her eyes seemed to mist over slightly.

"Orin Inuzuka!"

A small smile appeared on Orin's face as he slowly went to stand by his friends, Kiba letting out a whoop and Akamaru barking loudly.

"Shikari Nara!"

Shikari ran to the stage, radiating excitement. Temari laughed, and Shikamaru looked on with pride.

"Saruke Uchiha!"

The fiery girl grinned, bouncing over to the others and flashing a peace sign to the crowd. Sakura yelled encouragingly, and a faint smirk crossed Sasuke's features.

There was a small pause before the next name, and Iruka smiled fondly. "And last but certainly not least… Nirata Uzumaki!"

Nirata wore a grin not unlike another certain blonde, and finally joined the others on the stage. Happiness was clear in Hinata's eyes. Naruto watched from his own spot on the stage, dressed in the Hokage's robes and looking like he was trying not to cry.

Iruka glanced over him and nodded with a smile, feeling his own eyes starting to water up. Naruto cleared his throat, moving to the center of the stage to make his big speech. He turned to the young children, grinning as he closed his eyes and put his hands behind his head in a habit he had never managed to break.

"I just have to say that I'm really proud of you guys. Becoming a shinobi is a lot of work – trust me – and I hope that you all are willing to take on that task. The Will of Fire is going to be passed onto you; it's a great responsibility, and a great gift. I can't wait to see all of you become the great ninjas I know you'll be."

There was a huge round of applause after the short speech, and Naruto turned around to pick out the familiar faces in the audience. Kakashi stood there with his book in hand, smiling under his mask. Sasuke rolled his eyes, smirk still in place while Sakura cheered. Hinata waved, a smile stretched across her features.

The blonde sighed, wishing for a few more familiar faces to be present. _Old man Third… Jiraiya Sensei… Neji… Grandma Tsunade…_

_ Don't be getting all emotional on me now,_ a voice said in the back of his head.

He laughed. _Come on, Kurama. You can't say you're not at least a little choked up. Today is an amazing day. _

The Kyuubi huffed. _Whatever… All I can say is this: These next few years are going to be pretty damn interesting._

Naruto couldn't help but to agree.

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><p><strong>Dark: So? Whatdya think? Do you like how this chapter turned out? I for one am not really satisfied with it because I'm not good at introduction chapters like this. But you guys deserve a new chapter, so here it is. :3<strong>

**Deiora: Can I be in the next chapter?**

**Sadari: Me too!**

**Dark: Aw of course. X3**

**Hikuzu: *shoves them* What about me, huh?**

**Dei and Sada: *growls* **

**Hiku: *sweatdrops***

**Dark: Don't worry; you'll all be in the next one.**

**Saruke: Even us? **

**Dark: … *evil laughter* You'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime… Review! You know you want to...**


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